Loose ends

Prospect Shaw Boomhower creates a chance in front of the Trenton net before being flattened by a check from behind.

Dukes auditioning new faces in preseason

Preseason is like trying on a new suit of clothes. Nothing fits quite the way it should. Too tight in some spots—too baggy in others. For a moment you worry its all been a big mistake. That it isn’t going to work. Then the tailor trims a bit here and there. Some nips. Some tucks. Soon the lines are flowing nicely and before long it has become your favourite suit. Your lucky suit. Your winning suit.

So it is with the throng of fresh young talent thrust onto the ice wearing a Dukes jersey in August. There is little structure or form. Passes are flung to no one in particular. Forwards are caught too deep. Defencemen are treated like pylons. But from this amorphous array of skilled young men—a team is forged. An identity begins to emerge.

But that is likely still weeks away. For now, the Dukes remain a ragtag collection of cloth stitched together by the high energy of young warriors eager to make this team and continue the tradition of success the Wellington Dukes have achieved—unparalleled in junior hockey. The fine adjustments have just begun.

In three exhibition games, the Dukes have one win and two losses. While the score counts little in these games no one likes losing. Least of all Marty Abrams, Wellington Dukes head coach and general manager.

The tempo at practice will be amped up this week. Abrams wants to know who his team is before travelling to Vermont next week. Many prospects and some returning players are still competing for roles with the club.

“We are pleased with the effort so far but we are still carrying too many players,” said Abrams. “This has to be addressed this week.”

“Goaltending has been very strong throughout camp and several of our younger prospects have played very well. It has been a while since we have had this many difficult decisions to make.”

An early bright spot is the play of forward Nick Devito, recruited from the USPHL under-18 program. Devito potted both goals as the Dukes edge Trenton 2-1 on Friday night. The lineup featured mostly prospects and new players—the only returning Dukes players were Jacob Panetta and Griffin McCarty.

The game was a penalty-plagued affair with Dukes earning 36 minutes in the box. Trenton took fewer minutes but had to deal with more serious breaches, including three Golden Hawks players tossed for checking from behind. A combination of adrenaline-fuelled young men literally fighting for roster spots and referees eager to ensure everyone learns and understands the bounds of fair play contributed to the high penalty count.

On Saturday, the youth of the Dukes lineup was no match for Trenton—whose bench included many of their top players from last season. Tyler Welsh stood on his head for 30 minutes holding off the Trenton attack. But the young Dukes had immense difficulty mounting any offensive threat.

The only representatives of last year’s squad were Jacob Hetherington, Josh Supryka and Griffin McCarty.

Nick DeVito goes to the backhand to score his second goal of the game.

The Golden Hawks took the second game of the home and away series, 4-0.

The Cougars handed the Dukes their second loss of the preseason, winning 3-2 on Monday night in Cobourg. Nineteen-year-old Dylan Mascarin from Thunder Bay, acquired from the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL, scored once and assisted on a Joe McKeown goal, giving him his second and third points in two games with the Dukes.

Nick Devito earned another point. Prospect defenceman Aiden Girduckis notched his second point in two games. Abbot Girduckis’s brother will turn 16 in October.

Monday’s lineup featured more of a mix of prospects and proven players.

On Friday, the Dukes host their perennial rivals, the Kingston Voyageurs. Kingston has yet to win in two starts this preseason—their opponents were powerhouses Pembroke and the Carleton Place. Carleton Place, readers will recall, lost the final game of the RBC Cup in overtime to the Yorkton Terriers this past May.

The Voyageurs will be eager to earn their first win. The Dukes, however, will be keen to embark on the long bus ride to Vermont on a winning note. This game has all the ingredients for great pre-season action.

And by Friday night, expect the Dukes to be fitting much better.

The puck drops at the Essroc Centre at 7:30.